Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 4 (Kirill Kondrashin; RCO - 1971)

Information

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

1. Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43: 1. Allegretto poco moderato
2. Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43: 2. Moderato con moto
3. Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43: 3. Largo - Allegretto

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Kirill Kondrashin, conductor

Date: 1971
Label: RCO Live
This is tracks 2-4 from the 1st disc of "Anthology of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra" Volume 4.
http://www.allmusic.com/album/anthology-of-the-royal-concertgebouw-orchestra-vol-4-live-the-radio-recordings-1970-1980-mw0001392356

***

Kondrashin conducted the premier of Shostakovich's 4th symphony in 1961. He made the first recording in 1962 for Melodiya (here) with the Moscow Philharmonic (there is another recording with the same orchestra on Melodiya (here), part of the complete symphonies box set, listed as recorded in 1966, sounded like the 1962's performance to my ears, but better remastered). The second recording of this symphony Kondrashin made is with the Staatskapelle Dresden in 1963 (here), a mono radio broadcast but the sound is fairly good with deep bass, just a little muddy (ClassicsToday's review).

So, this 1971's recording with the Concertgebouw is the 3rd (or 4th) recording of Kondrashin's DSCH 4 and the only one made in the West (so far released). It has the best sounding, has one of the best orchestras, and has Kondrashin in his peak. Compare to other recordings listed above, it's truly "definitive in every way".

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Review

"... Kondrashin’s performance of Shostakovich’s Fourth is startling. Right from Ormandy’s pioneering 1963 recording, the work has come across as an avant-garde blockbuster, far more adventurous than the composer’s other work of the 1930s. This performance brings it closer to the rest of the Shostakovich canon, from the Fifth Symphony on. One can now hear elements which eventually found their way into the Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, and even the Ninth Symphony. Moments of humor, not all of them bitter, raise their head. Yet, in the end, the Fourth loses none of its heart-stopping intensity. It’s almost as if Kondrashin has given us a new Shostakovich symphony to ponder and to enjoy."

-- James H. North, FANFARE

------------------------------------

"... The new RCO set's gem is Kondrashin's 1971 performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4, a work which received its world premiere in December 1962 with Kondrashin conducting the Moscow Philharmonic. This performance from October 10, 1971 is definitive in every way."

-- Robert E. Benson, Classical CD Review

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Dmitri Shostakovich (25 September 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Russian composer and pianist, and a prominent figure of 20th-century music. Shostakovich achieved fame in the Soviet Union, but later had a complex and difficult relationship with the government. Shostakovich's music is characterized by sharp contrasts, elements of the grotesque, and ambivalent tonality; the composer was also heavily influenced by the neo-classical style pioneered by Igor Stravinsky, and (especially in his symphonies) by the post-Romanticism associated with Gustav Mahler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitri_Shostakovich

***

Kirill Kondrashin (6 March [O.S. 21 February] 1914 – 7 March 1981) was a Russian conductor. He was the artistic director of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra from 1960 to 1975 and premiered Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 and No. 13 during this period. He left the Soviet Union in December 1978 while touring in the Netherlands and sought political asylum there. Kondrashin took the post of Permanent Guest Conductor of Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra in the same year and remained in that position until his death.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirill_Kondrashin

-------------------------------------------------------------------

FLAC, tracks

Links in comment

Enjoy!